Living Simply to Live
Tomorrow, the 18th of July, we leave for the states. It’s crazy how quick this trip went by. So much happened in just three weeks! When all of us first met at training camp we were all strangers, but now we are all family. I’ve made so many connections with my teammates and with the people of Peru; it will be so hard to say goodbye. The Peruvian people are the people I wish Americans were like. When we would walk through their villages, they would invite us into their home and give us their full attention while we talked about the love of Jesus. Most Americans would either ignore you or turn you away.
Every morning at the jungle farm where we stayed, I’d wake up at 6:00am to journal and spend time with God. I can tell you that every morning when I was up at 6:00, the workers on the farm had already been awake for over an hour doing their jobs. That’s what they do there. They get up and work without hesitation or complaining. Their hearts are filled with the desire to serve God, and they don’t focus on how much money they make or what they have. They simply live to serve the Lord. They take only what they need and appreciate all the things they have. They appreciate the outhouses and the hand farming tools they use to work. They don’t wish for a “real” bathroom, or machinery that would make farming a whole lot easier. The kids there don’t worry about taking Advanced Placement classes or the college they’ll go to. Their only desire is to provide for their family. They love others with kindness and I believe that Americans and other first-world countries should learn from the people of Peru. Their hearts are filled with the simplicity and goodness of the life God has granted them with.
The hardest part for me going home will probably be sitting at home or being in school, when I know that places like Peru exist. There are places in the world that are filled with kind people and there are places in the world that need to be shown the light of Jesus. There are places like Peru where I could be helping and forming connections with the villagers. I don’t want to go home where everything will be the same. Something in my life needs to change, and whether that be simply making more time for God, or trying to get involved with local Christian organizations, I don’t know. But I do know that by praying to God and listening to what His plans are for me, He will guide my life in the pursuit of His will.
I’ll end with Philippians 2:15, “Live clean, innocent lives as children of God, shining like bright lights in a world full of crooked and perverse people.”
Much Love,
Natalie Huestis
